Chapter 2410 2127: The Great War Looms

"Victory has been achieved." Papinian exhaled deeply as he looked at the urgent military report sent from the front lines of Great Britain.

Regardless of how, victory is good, and things will be much simpler moving forward. The Senate has blocked the news for so long without informing His Majesty the Emperor, which is somewhat illegal.

When Severus led the army back to Rome, the Senate spread the previously blocked news about the invasion of the Two Rivers and the Eastern Province by the Parthians, causing an uproar throughout Rome.

"Your Majesty!" The urgent intelligence reached the returning Roman army, and the higher-ups received the news shortly after. Sulinarari and others all went to pay homage to Severus.

"It's nothing; the Parthians are quite formidable." Severus's face showed no emotion, but everyone felt the anger burning in Severus's chest.

"Your Majesty, should we return to Rome City first or head directly south to the port to embark for the Eastern Province?" the Adjutant Officer respectfully asked. The Thirteen Roses Legion got wiped out, a relic of Caesar, one of the strongest legions of the Roman Empire.

"Return to Rome City, the Han Empire, is it?" A cold glint flashed in Severus's eyes. "The land of gold and silk from myth? Relay orders for everyone to accelerate the march!"

Following Severus's command, the short-legged Roman Legion began a forced march, demonstrating a level of quality far surpassing any previous era. Severus bestowed upon them fame and fortune, and they were willing to give everything in return.

By the time Severus arrived at Italian Rome City, the year was nearly over. Although the Roman calendar was quite different from that of the Central Plains people, the astronomy expert brought by Jian Yong had already confirmed that less than a month remained until the new year.

"Eh, your Emperor has returned?" Jian Yong frowned as he watched Papinian arrive with the Attendant Officer. The Emperor making a successful campaign return from the front line is indeed a significant event; yet, the Romans seemed relatively indifferent.

"Yes, His Majesty Severus has returned." Papinian said with a grave expression. Though Severus showed no visible anger, Papinian felt a strong fury within Severus.

"So, I can meet the Roman Emperor now?" Jian Yong asked naturally, not finding it inappropriate to address Severus as an emperor, having confirmed over time that Rome was indeed a powerful empire.

"Yes, please have your Diplomatic Mission ready. Later, His Majesty's close Guard Officer will come to escort you to the Imperial Court." Papinian gave a single-handed salute and left.

Elsewhere, Severus stood at the main podium of the Roman Parliament. All the Elders of the Roman Empire, regardless of their ailment or discomfort, had fully gathered, with the Tribune of the Plebs attending outside as listeners. Severus headed straight here upon his return, everyone knew something major had occurred.

"...That concludes the entire campaign of Great Britain!" Severus said with a stern demeanor, looking around at the Senate Elders. Below, whispers filled the room. Severus had remarkably reached the homeland of the Celtic People and the Germans and decisively defeated them. This remarkable achievement was comparable to the feats of the Five Wise Emperors.

With Severus's speech, those members of the Senate who were discontent about Severus' ascent to power through unorthodox means, and being the only emperor of North African descent in history, no longer evaluated Severus with previous prejudice. The Roman Emperor must not be judged by origin, but capability!

"Now, who will stand and tell me why the Thirteen Roses Legion was wiped out while I was away from Rome?" Severus asked sternly, scanning the Senate Elders.

"I'll explain." Capitolinos stood expressionless; he was a Supervisor who had held the position since the late period of the Five Wise Emperors.

Capitolinos explained in detail the events occurring in the Roman Eastern Province, neither exaggerating the significance of the Han Dynasty nor minimizing the threat, providing an unbiased third-party perspective.

"So, the Han Empire only bolstered Parthia's audacity, and the real aggressor was indeed Parthia?" Severus asked Capitolinos, his face a bit cold.

"That's the reality, but the scale of their operations exceeded our expectations. Regarding the failure of the Thirteen Roses Legion, I'd say it was more a failure of leadership than of warfare." Capitolinos glanced coldly at Caesar's descendants, muttering disdainfully, pointing fingers at the Julius Family.

"Given Parthia's strength, the Thirteen Roses Legion and the Fourteen Combined Legion should have been able to withdraw easily if commanded properly! The assistance of the Fourteen Combined Legion beside the Thirteen Roses Legion was designed to offset its weaknesses, yet Gilea's performance was dismal!" Without reservation, Capitolinos lashed out, criticizing the Julius Family, saying even the imperial clan had performed too poorly.

At this moment, if Caesar's descendants could kill with their eyes, Capitolinos would surely be cut into pieces by their gazes.

"Not even the Eagle Banner was fully activated?" Severus coldly glared at the Julius Family members in the Senate, causing their imperial roots to almost raise their hair in fear.

"Ganasis has now ceased hostilities with the other side. We also believe that we should halt the war for now. With our current strength, it's quite difficult to contend with Parthia and the Han Army's three Military Spirit Legions," Capitolinos explained when he saw Severus not saying much.

"A ceasefire, huh?" Severus frowned and said.

"Yes, the three Military Spirit Legions of the Han Army are too troublesome for us, and at that time, we had mainly invested our military forces in the Britannia campaign. Fighting on two fronts stretched us too thin," Capitolinos nodded and said.

"Three Military Spirit Legions?" Severus inexplicably felt a headache. Even he felt the pressure. "I heard the Han Empire's envoy has already arrived, is that correct?"

"Yes," Capitolinos nodded and said.

"Very well, let's meet them and then decide," Severus said, looking at the other party.

About an hour later, Jian Yong, having changed clothes, led Nangong Xue and others under the guidance of the Roman court attendants to the Roman court.

Compared to the simplicity of the Roman Parliament, the Roman court appeared significantly more luxurious and magnificent. Even though Rome did not adhere to the phrase "without magnificence, there is no awe," they respected this principle in constructing their courts.

When Jian Yong and the others arrived, Severus was resting with his eyes closed. Attending were the attendant officers on both sides, the Imperial Guard Officers, the Scribe Officers, and Roman legislators, which was enough to honor the Great Han Family.

"Envoy Jian Yong greets His Majesty the Roman Emperor," Jian Yong bowed respectfully. Thanks to his long study, Jian Yong could fluently use the Roman language by now.

"Xianhe, there are many masters here. At least seven surpass my own strength. Even among the Breakthrough Level experts, those seven are outstanding," Nangong Xue immediately conveyed her thoughts into Jian Yong's mind.

Sulinarari lightly laughed while looking at Nangong Xue. How rare, for a martial artist who seems to be at the City Guardian level, it would take dozens of moves to defeat him indeed.

"What's amusing, Su?" Perennius curiously transmitted to Sulinarari upon seeing his smile, something rarely seen.

"That person below, if I engage him in combat, at the eighth move, when I'm about to severely injure him, the sword in his hand would infuse him with endless Divine Power, allowing him to break into the Breakthrough Level. Subsequently, relying on the Divine Power in the sword, his will would burst forth, entering a desperate state," Sulinarari said with interest.

"Are you actually concerned about desperation?" Perennius asked, puzzled.

"No, the intrigue lies in the fact that he doesn't care about desperation; even if his head were cut off, it could immediately recover," Sulinarari smiled and said. "Such an interesting power makes it seem like the leader of their Diplomatic Mission can practically represent the Han Empire here."

Sulinarari also relayed this to Severus, whose expression remained unchanged. He calmly invited Jian Yong to take a seat.

"I wonder what brings the Han Envoys from such a distant land to Rome?" Severus, with an official formal tone, did not even mention what was happening in the Eastern Province.

"Having heard there are great powers in the Extreme West, the Han Family desires to share peace with Rome," Jian Yong said likewise. You don't mention the Eastern Province, and neither will we; I won't look for trouble.

"This is indeed good. Rome is willing to share peace and exchange what we have with the Han Family," Severus also spoke in officialese. For him, only Parthia remained in his surroundings, and making a move was inevitable. In such a situation, whether the Han Family supports Parthia or not, action must be taken.

Compared to the Roman Parliament, which still had some hesitations and concerns about what the Han Family thought, Severus didn't consider any of this. In this world, truth lies within the realm of martial force. No matter what is said, Rome will act. If the Han Family wishes to protect the Parthians, then let them try. There's no fear!

Hearing this, Jian Yong produced the State Documents. The attendant officer received the documents and handed them to Severus, who naturally browsed through them, wearing an expression that suggested he understood Chinese characters. Thus, a State Document was concluded with the Han Family. It was then handed to the attendant officer, who would pass it on for someone who genuinely understood it to interpret.

At this moment, it seemed as if both parties had many topics to discuss, and the atmosphere appeared excellent, with no sign of reckoning accounts. However, Jian Yong, who was keenly aware of events in the Eastern Province, understood clearly that the calmer Severus appeared, the firmer his resolve. This time, it seemed indeed to spell trouble.